As we all head back to work and the kids head back to school, everyone in the family will be around more people, and with more people come things like bugs. It’s unavoidable. But if you have young ones at home going off to preschool for the first time or just back to school, how can you best support them?
When it comes to your children’s immunity, there are some things that are good to know. Not only how to help build your children’s immune system but also how to incorporate preventative health, so you could escape the possibility of getting sick altogether - which can certainly help minimise life disruptions.
What do we mean by preventative health?
This is where natural health is amazing. While preventative health is not the same as a bubble bath or a self-care routine, it is a more concentrated approach to supporting building your immunity and health.
Anyone reading this remembers that when they had small people that started at a preschool or kindy, they caught every single thing that went around. By default, you also caught those things. This makes perfect sense – your small person was exposed to so many other people and ‘catching’ things is how we build our immune response. It is how we build up our immunity.
Pros of being exposed to microbes, allergens and bugs
Children share everything - microbes included. This can be a good thing as your children are developing their immunity and diversifying their microbiome. Modern life has become a lot cleaner and more sanitised than ever before. This has had benefits, and there is no denying better hygiene and sanitisation has saved lives.
However, we need to be exposed to microbes and bugs to build resilience. Microbiologist Brett Finlay from the University of British Columbia discusses the importance of letting children ‘eat’ dirt.
He states, “Our immune systems are built to be exposed to things early in life so we can then be ready for the rest of our life.” He advocates for letting children play in the dirt. Let them be dirty, let them play with other kids, expose them to different microbes to build their immunity and help them train their immune system on how to react.
Your immune system is continually working to help support you. That goes for your children’s immunity too. There are months in the year when there are so many things going around that as soon as you get over one thing, the next one arrives – and this is where we believe preventative health can help.
What can you do to support your children's immunity?
As with most things - preparation is key. So think about supporting your immunity and your children’s before you get sick. That means you might have a chance of escaping the illness or at least only having minimal symptoms.
Supporting your children’s immunity could look like:
A daily tonic - Our Immunity Tonic is a simple ‘berry’ drink that you can add to drink bottles or offer with breakfast or afternoon tea. There have been multiple studies that have found elderberry effective in supporting your immune system.
Zinc - Another great way to support your children’s immune system is to consider a zinc supplement (ask a professional for an age appropriate dose). Zinc can help support immunity and skin health, among a variety of other functions. Our bodies can't synthesise micronutrients like zinc, so it’s important you find these in other sources.
Sleep - Sleep is essential for recovery and your children’s immunity as it allows their bodies to rest and reset. When we sleep well, we have a better chance of fighting off anything that comes our way.
To support sleep you could establish a regular bedtime and incorporate nervous system supporting herbs like chamomile, passionflower, lavender or Californian poppy to help your body get to sleep more efficiently. We’ve made a Kids Rest and Calm with chamomile and Californian poppy that is great for your wee ones sleep and calm.
Washing hands - Mind blowing I know. But general hygiene is always important. Wash hands before eating - instill this in small people.
Reduce stress - We know that stress effects all aspects of our body, this includes immunity. If we can try and adapt our response to stress we will hopefully support our immune system further.
🌿Related: 4 Facts About Stress That Will Make You Less Stressed (Yes, Really)
Healthy diet - Add more fresh foods into their diet or a good broad spectrum kids multi powder (like this) - I like to hide all the things in smoothies. And those smoothies can go to school as well or be frozen as ‘ice blocks’.
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So before kids start preschool/school (or return back) it is a good idea to start a simple preventative rountine.
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Support their immune system daily as they start their re-entry into the year and support their sleep and their nerves with plants.
- Add in minerals like zinc to support building their resilience.
- Remember that exposing them to the real world is good - it is how their bodies learn to adapt and react to what comes at them.
